Gwendolyn Giesbrecht

In my role as commissioner on the Vancouver Park Board, I was privileged to support initiatives such as:

Low turf maintenance and meadow enhancement in public parks and city boulevards
Working with Indigenous groups to integrate their knowledge in stewardship to restore saltmarsh and buried waterways.
Expanding bike routes and infrastructure in public spaces.
Using climate resilient and species appropriate plants and trees in new plantings on public land
Facilitating the planting of food forests with Indigenous partners

During my tenure on the board of directors for the Britannia Community Services Society:

Introduced programs to support food security, source and sustainability
Expanded upon city funded spaces at the centre for hot and cold weather shelter

Personally I have chosen to live in a walkable neighbourhood and use public transit whenever possible. I keep a vehicle which I use minimally. As a private citizen I have volunteered to participate in community gardens and orchards. I fly infrequently, instead choosing to spend holidays exploring the back country of BC, camping ,hiking & swimming. Teaching my child a respect for the wilderness.
I shop and eat seasonally, preserving what is abundant in the summer, and resist purchasing imported produce whenever possible.My pos

My position on gas hook-ups for new buildings is that they are a useful tool for minimizing carbon footprint. However important as well is that replacing gas with electricity energy is only part of the solution. I feel energy consumption of all kinds needs to be reduced through climate resilient buildings, and more education done for people to individually lower their consumption.

Yes. As a school board candidate of course I see one of the biggest roles of the Sustainability Office is their role in educating the population. I see that as a society we over consume energy at an alarming rate. While it is important to have guidelines and programs to support sustainability I feel that first we need to make sure people understand why those measures are important and how they individually can reduce their carbon footprint.

I believe we do need a moratorium on AI data centres because of the energy they consume, but as well what they are producing. AI as well as massive consumers of energy also massively undermine the resource of human endeavour. As it relates to education AI exacerbates the already existing problem for young learners where technology replaces the analytical process that creates deep thinking, questioning and drawing conclusions from a range of sources. Jurisdictions globally, in Europe and Scandinavian countries have already started using less technology as the go to tool in education. Here we need to start looking more critically on how all technology is being used by students, before adding in AI.

We hear a lot about the loss of canopy, shaded streets, lack of green and outdoor spaces in a built environment , especially when density occurs. I live in an area where nearly 64% rent and 70% live in apartments, according to the COV 2025 Social Indicators Profile The density in this are was created in the 1970's with a combination of rental, BC housing and Co-op buildings with community amenities, including a Community Centre , Library, Pool and Rink. All within a walkable distance. There is a shopping street, easy access to public transit, and most buildings not higher than four stories. We are on the east side of the city. I think there are areas in other parts of the city could achieve much greater density, without the loss of canopy and shadowing of green space that high rise construction creates. I think it possible to increase density in those areas of large single family homes and private yards, that are adjacent to commercial high streets and public transit.

The most important safe guards should be for those that are unhoused, and those that are housed in substandard accommodation. The safeguard is quality housing at an affordable cost.